In the past, there have been attempts to develop the use of interactive media in an enticing manner for entertainment, education or other purposes. With the advent of the World Wide Web and the Internet, web sites have been established that seek to merge and/or simulate various forms of media for entertainment or other purposes. For example, some web sites now offer video and/or audio capability. Digital media companies have also offered niche-oriented streaming video clips to individuals surfing the World Wide Web. Other web sites sell books, compact discs and other entertainment items. And still other web sites provide contests whereby participants attempt to correctly answer questions, solve puzzles or predict the outcome of a set of circumstances.
Another manner in which interactive media has been used involves associating television with the World Wide Web. Here, an individual viewing a television program may be encouraged to visit a web site that complements, or is associated with, the television program. For example, a TV news program may encourage viewers to visit a web site to read additional information on the news story being televised. As another example, certain crime story programs on NBC encourage viewers to visit MSNBC and vote on whether the accused is guilty or not. As another example, a game show may encourage viewers to visit a web site to purchase merchandise related to the show. A current application of this is WEBTV™.
In connection with the foregoing, many web sites use various mechanisms to generate revenue. For example, banner advertisements, links between sites and referrals fees are common on today's web sites.
However, existing attempts to use interactive multimedia for entertainment or other purposes, are ultimately passive in nature. They are not truly interactive or are interactive in a very limited sense. For example, in the streaming video clip example referenced above, the user may view the video on demand, but then just passively watch it. Where a person enters a contest on a web site, he or she typically enters information and then just sits and waits to see if he or she wins. Similarly, if a TV viewer logs onto a web site associated with the TV program to learn more about a news story, the viewer simply logs onto the web site and reads the test and perhaps looks at some pictures. And if a viewer watches a television show and logs onto a web site to buy merchandise, the viewer orders the merchandise and that is the end of it.
Thus up to this time, there has been no system or method to offer a truly interactive multimedia experience for entertainment, education or other purpose. Consequently, there has also been no system or method for generating revenue that would benefit from truly interactive multimedia forms of entertainment, education or other applications.